Roofing and siding panel construction with securing means for accommodating differential expansion



June 6, 1967 R. D. WIDDOWSON ROOFING AND SIDING PANEL; CONSTRUCTION WITH SECURING MEANS FOR ACCOMMODATING DIFFERENTIAL EXPANSION Filed Aug. 19, 1965 2 Sheets-.Sheet 1 INVENTOR. RALPH DONALD WIDDOWSON ATTORNEY June 1967 R. o. WIDDOWSON ROOFING AND SIDING PANEL CONSTRUCTION WITH SECURING MEANS FOR ACCQMMODATING DIFFERENTIAL EXPANSION Filed Aug. 19, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet a INVENTOR. RA L PH DO NA L D WJDDOWSON %ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,323,269 ROOFING AND SIDING PANEL CONSTRUCTION WITH SECURING MEANS FOR ACCOMMODAT- ING DIFFERENTIAL EXPANSION Ralph Donald Widdowson, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Elwin G. Smith & Company, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa. Filed Aug. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 480,878 2 Claims. (Cl. 52-483) This invention relates to a metal roofing and siding panel construction for industrial buildings, ofiice buildings and the like, and, more particularly to a roof assembly which is imperforate, yet anchored at numerous places to the supporting framing but which allows for differential expansion between the roof sheeting and the supporting framing, such as purlins. This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 389,034, filed Aug. 12, 1964 on Roofing and Siding Panel Construction.

In the past, corrugated metal sheeting has been restricted to use mainly on sidewalls of buildings, since the ends thereof when lapped and fastened together by screws or bolts to form a long span of sheeting would soon develop leaks, making it unsuitable for roofing. More specifically, the lapped ends which were fastened together by screws developed leakage paths, particularly, when the troughs of the corrugated sheeting were filled with rain water or melted snow.

In my parent application, I described a novel joint for joining the ends of corrugated sheets so as to make the joints leak proof, therefore suitable even as roofing. However, one disadvantage of such sheeting, or other designs, such as channel, V-shaped, etc., is that when long spans of sheeting are assembled and secured to a supporting frame, it is necessary to anchor the sheeting to the frame at numerous points by means of screws which penetrate the crests of the corrugations of the sheeting, or at least the end joints thereof. Even though these joints are sealed with sealing material, leaks nevertheless develop in time. I have discovered that the main reason is that metal sheeting expands and contracts at a significantly different rate than the supporting framing, therefore resulting in displacement between the sheeting and anchoring screws, thereby enlarging the holes through which the screws penetrate, such as made by self tapping, forming small openings through which rain water or melted snow will eventually leak.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the above-named disadvantages of prior roofing assemblies by prOViding a novel ribbed design and clip for providing an anchoring means not requiring penetration, by screws or bolts, of the corrugated or other undulatory shaped sheeting.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a novel imperforate, metal roof sheeting assembly of corrugated or other outline provided with integral intermittent rigs throughout the span of each sheet, which ribs coact with novel means for anchoring the sheets to the supporting frame in a manner so as to allow relative movement between the sheeting and framing as a consequence of expansion or contraction from heat and cold, so as to eliminate the necessity of puncturing the sheeting or joints with screws or bolts, but at the same time enabling firm anchoring of very large sheets to the supporting framing at numerous points.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent from a study of the following description taken with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top, perspective view of a corrugated roofing panel assembly embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken through the joints of adjacent panels after the panels are interlocked together;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the interlocked and sealed panels after they are die-clinched;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken across long corrugated sheets whose sides are anchored and sealed together without the necessity of puncturing the sheets;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 4 and showing a fragmentary portion of the corrugated sheet;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional View taken along line VI- VI of FIG. 5, showing an intermediate integral rib dieclinched and relatively slidable with respect to a supporting and anchoring clip;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the clip shown in FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are cross-sectional views showing assemblies similar to FIG. 4 of sheeting other than corrugated shape;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a modified form of clip for permitting sliding movement of the sheeting relative the supporting frame; and,

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 6, except showing the modified clip illustrated in FIG. 10.

A novel feature of the present invention is the construction of the flanged side edges 5 and 6 of the panel so as to assure a water-tight joint and so as to greatly facilitate assembly of the panels 2 in building up a large roof span or sidewall span.

As will be seen more clearly in FIG. 2, one side edge 5 of the panel is reversely bent so as to form a substantially U-shaped channel or female member which may be initially filled at the factory site with caulking 8.

In assembly, sheet 2 shown on the left of FIG. 1 is first supported on a purlin or frame (not shown) and thereafter another panel 2 as shown in the center of FIG. 1, is lowered so that its side edge portion 5 will be penetrated by the upstanding end flange portion 6 of the first panel and thereby form an air-tight and watertight seal. In some cases, this would suffice for holding adjoining panels together, but for greater security, the joints may be die-clinched at 9 at suitable intervals as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

It should be especially noted that the height of the joint between sheets-that is, the height of side edge portion 5 is substantially greated than that of the crest 4 of the corrugated panels. Thus, even if the trough portions of the panels adjoining edge portions 5 and 6 are filled with snow or rain water, such water will not penetrate through the length of the sealed joint formed by caulking 8. A suitable height of the joint is about 1 /2 inch as compared to a crest height at 4 of about inch, however, these dimensions may be varied, as desired.

As a modification, and in view of the assured seal provided by caulking 8 with or without the aid of die-clinching 9, the height of the joint may be made substantially the same as the height of crests 4 or even lower.

While corrugated sheets are shown in the form of curved ribs, such ribs may have fiat, angularly disposed side portions and fiat top and bottom portions, instead, so as to form channels or ribs having different appearance or design.

FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a modified assembly wherein the corrugated sheeting 2 is provided with intermediate upstanding ribs 5' in addition to those at the ends of the sheet to enable anchoring of sheets of very large span at intermediate points to the supporting framing 18. One or more integral upstanding ribs 5' of inverted U-shape may be used at suitable distances apart and extending along the entire length of the sheets. As in the case of the structure shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the sheeting must be anchored to supporting framing 13 or purlins by means of clips 10 having upstanding flanges saidwiched between the side flanges of adjoining sheets. However, instead of die-clinching the ribs to the clips so as to rigidly fasten them to the clips, provisions are made for permitting the corrugated sheet to freely move longitudinally, in the direction of the corrugations, relative to the framing as a consequence of the different coefficients of expansion of the sheeting and the roof framing. The clips for the sides of the sheets must also be so modified.

This is done by means of a specially designed clip 10, such as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, comprising a base portion 11 which rests on top of the framing 18 and is screw threaded thereto by a bolt or self tapping screw 17 extending through hole 16. The depending skirt 12 which engages the vertical wall of the framing or girt 18, prevents turning movement relative the framing. An integral upstanding flange portion 13 is reversely bent at 14 and is provided with a slot 15. Therefore, after the clips are fastened to the framing, as shown in FIG. 4, and the corrugated sheeting is laid thereon, as shown, then by means of a tool, somewhat like a punch, the ribs are dieclinched or punched together at the portions of the sheet registering with slots 15, as shown in FIG. 6, so that there is no rigid connection between rib 5' and the clip 10. A protuberance 19, formed by die-clinching or punching, is adapted to slide in and along the length of slot 15 as a consequence of expansion or contraction of the corrugated sheeting at a different rate from that of the supporting framing 18. Thus no stresses will be introduced and there is no necessity for puncturing the sheeting with anchoring screws which would eventually cause leakage.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show roofing assemblies made of sheets of different shape from the corrugated sheets illustrated in FIG. 4. For example, a channeled sheet 20 may be used with a slightly depressed central top portion, as shown in FIG. 8, or a channeled sheet 21 with a flat top may be used, as shown in FIG. 9, or, in fact, any shapes, such as V-shaped or undulating shape may be used in the valleys of which upstanding ribs, such as 5' of FIG. 4, may be integrally formed and whose ends are joined by joints, such as shown in FIG. 4. If desired, only a single bow or channel may be formed between ribs 5' instead of a plurality, as shown.

FIGS. and 11 show a modification of the clip,denoted generally by numeral 22, comprising portions 11', 12' and 16' which are similar to 11, 12 and 16, respectively, of FIG. 7. However, only a short upstanding flange portion 23 is provided which is integral with base portion 11'. A separate slidable element 25 which is reversely bent on the top is provided with rivets or bolts 26 whose shanks extend through slot 24 of portion 23 (similar to slot of FIG. 7). Of course the heads of rivets 26 are larger than the width of the slot. FIG. 11 shows the clip of FIG. 10 in assembled relationship to anchor the roof sheeting. Here, however, the upstanding intermediate rib 5 is punched or die-clinched at 19' with the intermediate part of portion 25 sandwiched tightly by said die-clinching so that portion 25 is rigidly attached to rib 5". Therefore, when the corrugated sheeting expands longitudinally, it will carry with it portion 25 which, in turn, by virtue of the rivet and slot connection 24, 26 will move longitudinally of the corrugations in relative to the base portion 22 and framing 18, thereby compensating for differential expansion of the sheeting and supporting frame with temperature changes.

Although the sheeting described hereinbefore was referred to as being of metal, it may also be of plastic or other suitable materials.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a highly eflicient metal sheeting assembly which is particularly suitable for roofing very large spans without the necessity of puncturing or perforating in the sheeting, therefore completely eliminating any possibility of leakage that would normally otherwise occur when the sheeting is penetrated by fastening screws or the like; furthermore, I have provided a novel means for anchoring not only the joined side portions of separate sheets forming the span, but intermediate portions, as well, and in a manner to permit relative sliding movement between the sheet and supporting framing to compensate for differences in their coeflicients of expansion.

While I have illustrated and described several embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that these are by way of illustration only, and that various changes and modifications may be made within the contemplation of my invention and within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A roof assembly comprising a flanged roof framing including a horizontal flange and a depending vertical flange, undulating metal sheets on said horizontal flange, each sheet having at least one intermediate imperforate upstanding rib of inverted U shape, the end of one sheet terminating in an upstanding flange which fits into a reversely bent, inverted U-shaped'flange of an adjoining sheet, and a flanged metal clip, including a horizontal flange directly supported on said horizontal flange of said framing, the horizontal flange of said clip having an upstanding flange and abutting an inner wall of said upstanding rib, said clip being rigidly secured to said framing, said upstanding flange portion of the clip provided with a slot which extends longitudinally of said upstanding rib of said sheets, said inverted U-shaped rib having a portion thereof provided with a protuberance extending into said slot, the length of said slot being greater than the corresponding dimensions of said protuberance so as to allow movement of the protuberance and rib longitudinally thereof relative to said clip and the supporting framing as a consequence of temperature changes and differences in the coefficients of expansion of the sheet and framing.

2. A roof assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said flanged metal clip has a depending vertical flange resting against said depending vertical flange of the framing so as to prevent said clip from turning or twisting relative to said framing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 146,555 1/1874 Scott 52520 237,133 2/1881 Sagendorph 52520 426,627 4/ 1890 Sagendorph 52-394 1,810,287 6/1931 Mahon et al 5252O X 1,882,105 10/1932 Wender 52520 2,262,378 11/1941 Zavodsky 52-520 3,234,697 2/1966 Toti et al 52588 X FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

A. C. PERHAM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A ROOF ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FLANGED ROOF FRAMING INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL FLANGE AND A DEPENDING VERTICAL FLANGE, UNDULATING METAL SHEETS ON SAID HORIZONTAL FLANGE, EACH SHEET HAVING AT LEAST ONE INTERMEDIATE IMPERFORATE UPSTANDING RIB OF INVERTED U SHAPE, THE END OF ONE SHEET TERMINATING IN AN UPSTANDING FLANGE WHICH FITS INTO A REVERSELY BENT, INVERTED U-SHAPED FLANGE OF AN ADJOINING SHEET, AND A FLANGED METAL CLIP, INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL FLANGE DIRECTLY SUPPORTED ON SAID HORIZONTAL FLANGE OF SAID FRAMING, THE HORIZONTAL FLANGE OF SAID CLIP HAVING AN UPSTANDING FLANGE AND ABUTTING AN INNER WALL OF SAID UPSTANDING RIB, SAID CLIP BEING RIGIDLY SECURED TO SAID FRAMING, SAID UPSTANDING FLANGE PORTION OF THE CLIP PROVIDED WITH A SLOT WHICH EXTENDS LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID UPSTANDING RIB OF SAID SHEETS, SAID INVERTED U-SHAPED RIB HAVING A PORTION THEREOF PROVIDED WITH A PROTUBERANCE EXTENDING INTO SAID SLOT, THE LENGTH OF SAID SLOT BEING GREATER THAN THE CORRESPONDING DIMENSIONS OF SAID PROTUBERANCE SO AS TO ALLOW MOVEMENT OF THE PROTUBERANCE AND RIB LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF RELATIVE TO SAID CLIP AND THE SUPPORTING FRAMING AS A CONSEQUENCE OF TEMPERATURE CHANGES AND DIFFERENCES IN THE COEFFICIENTS OF EXPANSION OF THE SHEET AND FRAMING. 